The Fragmented Chronicles
by goxeris
Summary: Fragments of stories. Fragments of ideas. Past, present, future, and lies, intertwine here. This story is just that; nothing special or extraordinary. Only a place to record what was never told. Is it one to discard, though? You can think of it as that. Here, among The Fragmented Chronicles, there are just glimpses of times and places.
1. The Letter from Another World

**I do not own Wizard101, nor its characters, nor the cover picture, only my OCs**

* * *

 _Welcome to the Fragmented Library, where I store all the pieces and scraps of stories that goxeris writes. I am Kevin Lightshade and I would be honored to show you around the place. What? Are you telling me this place is almost empty?! Hmm… There isn't much we can do right now, words come and go and so do the stories kept in this place._

 _I don't think it will stay that way for long. I had a chat with goxeris earlier and he told me he is hard at work writing about new ideas. Pst, just between you and I... don't trust him, he is an unreliable author!_

 _Ehem… As I was saying, some stories kept here require you to know stuff about Fragment of a Wish, while others are just stand alone. I will tell you which one is which as we encounter them so don't worry about it._

 _Let's start our tour! The first one shot I'd like to introduce you, is quite the historical one. No ground breaking details or information in it, but it is indeed the first story that was written, and the one that sparked the whole idea behind this place._

 _For this one, you should have read the first three chapters of Fragment of a Wish. It is about Emer's first encounter with Gamma and her decision to go to Ravenwood. Enjoy._

* * *

 ** **The Letter from Another World****

* * *

Emer was sitting on her comfortable bed in the small room she shared with three other girls at the orphanage. All her focus on the Math exercise book tactically placed on her lap while her hand hovered over it armed with a pencil. That last exercise was taking everything out of her, not to mention that the summer vacation was going to end soon, her time for completing her homework running low.

A small movement in her peripheral vision caught her attention, resulting in her gaze to shift to the window across the room.

Her first, unfocused thought, was that sunlight had somehow been able to go through the roof of grey clouds lazily grouped up above the city, but her jaw opened wide as she understood that it wasn't the case.

The glass had turned into a pure white color and small ripples were all over it, resembling the surface of a pond during heavy rain.

She gasped in surprise, dropping her math exercise book on the floor as she tried to get away from the thing, hitting her head on the wall behind her.

Emer hardly had the time to stand up and go for the door, when something small and feathery came out of the white surface, landing with a thump and a rather indignant hoot on the floor.

The thing stood up on its two legs, revealing itself as an owl, sporting a purple graduation hat on its head and matching collar around its neck. Emitting another hoot, softer than the previous one. The animal looked around the room, finally acknowledging the presence of the girl.

Emer stared at it in disbelief, slowly moving her hand in search of something she could use for self-defense, determined to make a run for the door if the animal went crazy.

It was then, that out of the blue, the owl started to talk,"Greetings. You must be the girl Ambrose was talking about!"

Emer stared at the owl in bewilderment, swiftly grabbing thing she could find which happened to be a stuffed mammoth toy, a present she had gotten last year for her birthday. Armed with her new weapon and confidence, she did the most logical thing she could think of: she threw it at the owl and dashed for the door screaming, her speed something that even herself couldn't believe she was capable of.

Her run continued through the corridor, her mind still trying to piece together what was going on and almost tackled Mrs. Willow, the orphanage's caretaker, to the ground when she bumped into her.

"Where are you running off to Emer? Didn't you have some homework to do?" Mrs. Willow inquired, getting a strong hold of the girl's shoulder.

"Mrs. Willow, an owl got in through the window, and it talks!" Emer blurted out, trying to drag the caretaker with her back to her room to show her the animal.

"An owl? I don't understand what you are saying, calm down" Mrs. Willow said, letting herself be dragged through the corridor to the half-opened door.

"Look!" Emer said, slamming the door open.

Emer's eyes widened in surprise, as she stared at the room. The owl was nowhere in sight, the window back to normal with its glassery surface as still as usual. The only things out of place were her stuffed mammoth toy and her math exercise book, both abandoned on the floor.

She couldn't believe that a mere hour of doing homework would procure her such obscure and absurd visions, so she started to inspect every corner of the room, checking under the beds and into the wardrobes trying to find any traces of the talking owl.

Suddenly shifting her gaze to Mrs. Willow, who was looking at her expectantly, waiting to see what all the fuss was about, Emer stopped in her tracks.

Was she really trying to get help with something so out of the ordinary from an inhabitant of Greyfell? She mentally facepalmed.

She couldn't even fetch Shard, since he had gone to who knows where, muttering something about wanting to go play with the other children. Why had he even insisted on going, Emer had no idea, he would just look at others playing from the sidelines, without ever trying to take part in the game. Not that it ever mattered if he did try to play with them, the result would have been the same regardless.

"What is it, Emer?" Mrs. Willow asked, giving a quick glance around the room.

"N-nothing," Emer said as questions started to rise in her mind.

She wasn't completely sure if the owl was anything similar to the things she and Shard could see, maybe she had just imagined it. Maybe she really did doze off while studying. It had happened once or twice. Maybe if she hadn't woken up, the owl would have started dictating formulas while tap dancing.

"I'll let you study then," concluded Mrs. Willow, walking down the corridor and out of sight.

Emer closed the door behind her and sighed. Walking warily to the stuffed mammoth, she lifted it up from the floor, dusting it off.

"Why is it always mammoths?" a voice asked behind her.

Startled, Emer instantly turned, the stuffed toy held in front of her as a shield. The owl stared back at her from a bedside table, seemingly amused by her behavior.

"Who are you?" She asked.

"I am Merle Ambrose's loyal companion and familiar. My name is Gamma. I have been looking for you," hooted Gamma.

Emer took a deep breath and cleared her mind, accepting that she was, in fact, talking to an owl, and a very well learned one at that "Y-you were looking for me?" she staggered.

"Yes, young one, what is your name?"

Emer warily introduced herself, going as far as slowly sitting on her bed, getting closer to a whole bunch of pillows to throw in case of only that, but she could have found a use for the pencil and her old malfunctioning calculator if things got out of control.

The owl didn't seem dangerous or scary, but she had had a dream with a talking animal trying to harm her once or twice, so she didn't want to take any chances.

"Let's start from the beginning. I have come here on Professor Ambrose's behalf to bring you this letter," Gamma said, taking off its hat and presenting an envelope.

Emer decided to risk it. She got up, approached the owl and took the letter, opening it to read the text as she slowly backed down to her sitting position on the bed.

The letter was written in an elegant flowing handwriting and it didn't contain her name, but according to the owl, there was no mistake that she was the recipient.

It was from a certain Merle Ambrose, Headmaster of Ravenwood school of wizardry, who informed her that she had been chosen to attend courses at his school. She continued to read through, her heart beating faster every second. If any of this was real, granted that Mrs. Willow hadn't set up an extremely convoluted prank, she would be studying magic!

She knew that magic existed of course. She remembered it from her childhood memories before ending up on Greyfell, but she had no idea that there was a school that taught it to people.

A smile slowly crept across her lips and stayed there as she asked Gamma everything about the school. She would have her own room in the dormitory, There were many branches of magic to study and there was a huge tree in the centre of campus that Gamma called Grandfather Bartleby. He got really angry when she asked if she could climb on top of his Grandfather to see the city better, and she had to make an effort not to laugh at the reaction.

She followed most of the conversation with Gamma, but when he started a long and tedious monologue on the ancient and noble tradition of learning wizardry, her mind started to daydream.

" I need to tell Shard all about this" She exclaimed all of a sudden, jumping to her feet and interrupting what had become a very long and boring lecture.

"Who?" Gamma hooted startled by her sudden movement.

"Oh, he is my friend. He might be interested to come too," She said, realizing only after she finished talking that the letter was sent to her and her only, meaning that Shard may not have been even taken into consideration.

"That would be troublesome," Gamma replied. "We know little about this world, but from what Merle has discovered from his crystal ball, nobody believes in magic here. It would be wiser if you kept it a secret."

Emer shook her head in denial. "No… I mean. I know that there is magic here, and even though nobody actually recognizes it, Shard is able to do so. Wouldn't that mean he can come too?"

Gamma didn't reply for a few seconds, and when he did, his words were well thought out, " It is not my place to deny that your friend might hold such an ability, but it is not my place either to make decisions without consulting with the headmaster."

"Oh, I see. Can you contact him, please? I would love to come to this school with my friend," Emer pleaded, giving her best effort at a puppy face.

She hoped with all her heart that she didn't have to leave Shard alone in this place. He would have been ignored by everybody for the rest of his days.

"I am afraid it is not that easy child," Gamma replied. He then explained how Greyfell had a faint connection to the other worlds in of the spiral and that it was difficult to arrange transportation to Wizard City.

"We have already prepared for the portal to take only one person. The school year will start soon afterward, you will have to make your decision and stay true to it."

Emer bit her lip in reflection. Her heart was beating fast as she felt special indeed to be chosen to learn magic from a school in another world.

She wasn't particularly fond of her life on Greyfell, and her math book was still figuratively glaring at her from where it had fallen. She couldn't leave Shard there though. There and then, she resolved to talk to Professor Ambrose about it. He seemed to be very kind in his letter and if she had been chosen, why Shard wasn't?

"I'll come to Ravenwood," she said to the owl.

Her mind trying to come up with good arguments she could use to convince the headmaster once she got to Wizard City.

She then listened intently to the instructions. In a week's time, exactly at midnight, she would have had to walk through the mirror of the small living room. Ambrose would be waiting for her on the other side.

She couldn't wait for days to pass by, and even after Gamma left, nonchalantly flying through the closed window, she couldn't stop fidgeting around. Getting up and walking restlessly around the room at random intervals.

When her roommates came back from to the room, Emer took up her math exercise book and started doodling random things, daydreaming about her new life in a different world, the chattering of the other girls becoming distant and unimportant.

* * *

 _Whether you read it or scrolled right through it, it is time for us to keep going. Come on, we don't have eternity!_


	2. I Curse You

**I do not own Wizard101 nor its characters, only my OCs.**

* * *

 _The next story I'm going to show you is… um… interesting? Have you ever wondered about some enemies you fight in the Spiral and who they are? Most of them have just a little dialogue to introduce themselves! Well, get ready to read goxeris's interpretation of one of them._

 _You don't need prior knowledge for this stand alone one shot._

* * *

 **I Curse You**

* * *

Spellcasting in the street. I hear the laments of the banshees. A battle is raging on.

Why wouldn't they leave me alone? I think, as I cradle my treasure in my arms. It's all I have left. A simple scrapbook with her handwriting, full of memories of when she was still alive.

With my bony hand, I gently turn some of the pages, careful not to rip the fragile parchment apart. Oh, her laugh! What a wonderful melody it was for my ears! I won't hear it again, not now that she is buried deep in that wretched place. Her cold body unmoving in that crypt.

I have been a coward. The question I should have asked her never left my lips. The fear of ruining everything silenced me as my feelings exploded within my chest, leaving me with a pain that was mine and mine alone.

"Sergeant! They're breaking through!" the Banshee near me screams, her fear growing as the blasts become louder.

"We won't surrender to those blasted wizards! They'll never get my treasure!" I shout. The banshee watches me with pity, she knows how important it is for me.

Wizards. My trouble has always been caused by wizards. Sylvia, the woman who captured my heart was a wizard. The one who took her away from me is a wizard.

I never accepted defeat, though. I moved to Wizard City, just to stay close to her. To protect her as I knew he wouldn't be able to do. I Watched her from afar, content with being there, although I never found the courage to speak to her. Not after she married him, leaving me alone.

Malistaire. He wasn't able to protect her. As she lied weak and feverish, I couldn't even see her. That man wouldn't let me anywhere near my beloved.

The door, it opened. I hear the laughter of young lads, they come to take what is rightfully hers. I tighten my grip on my treasure, the only thing I have left, glaring to those who want to take it away.

I start to talk in defiance, hiding behind a mask of false confidence,"So,you've come for the scrapbook that belonged to Malistaire's wife, eh? Pity she caught a cold and died…"

As words painfully get out of my mouth, I keep on telling myself that I shouldn't show weakness, they'd just exploit it.

They look at me amused, I'm not sure I can keep up this farce. They laugh at my pain.

I remember the laughter of the young wizards. They laughed at me as I attempted to find a cure. A warrior pretending to be a wizard they'd say, ignorant that my drive was more than a mere lust for power. A feeble hope to have her saved. Magic is said to make possible the impossible, why couldn't it heal her? Oh Sylvia, all your life magic was for naught in the end, struck down by a simple cold, they said.

One of them has black robes, I deduce he must be one of his student's from how little I do understand of the magical arts. They have schools, don't they? If I still had blood running through my veins, it would have probably boiled in anger. Did he send his student to retrieve it? Did he bring me back only to spite me once more?

"Well, I won't allow you to have it! I will deny him any kindness after what he denied me in life!" My thoughts slipped into words, I would bite my tongue to avoid revealing anything about what he denied me in life, but unfortunately, I'm a pile of walking bones. I do not own a beating heart anymore. Kind of fitting, I wouldn't need it in any case.

The wizards come closer, they don't fear me. I'm only one of the many undead haunting the City.

Thinking quickly, I try to say something else, something that would scare them away and leave me alone. Alone with my broken, non-existent heart.

"As for you, wizard…" I start, trying to come up with something. My eyes shifted to the banshee close to me. The one who offered me hospitality in her tower,"prepare to join the ranks of the undead and serve me!"

My façade is at an end, I can say no more. I would tear up if I still had tears left to cry. My words have no effect, they come.

I brace myself for the attack. The magic circle appears in the middle of the floor, letting the duel start. I'm weak, they say. My magic isn't strong enough to keep up with the young ones. I'm a warrior at heart, but duel circles hold no mercy for my kind. They drag us in a fight we can't hope to win, rending our swords utterly useless.

It happened the very same night of my death. After I tried to confront Malistaire for letting Sylvia die. He didn't even talk to me as the Wraith took away everything that made me human. I watched in horror as the blue wisp came out of me and was violently thrown on the ground as if it held no importance at all. I thought I'd see her again back then. I was wrong.

Focusing back on my enemies, I quickly cast the most powerful spell I have available in my hand, using up my only pip: the Thundersnake. I aim to the wizard in black robes, my spell, appearing in the innermost circle, hissing electricity right at the wizard's face.

Unfortunately, it doesn't do much at all.

The banshee helps me out with her own spells, and turn after turn, the battle goes on. Their cards against our own. Well educated wizards, against monsters who just take whatever scraps they can. Yes, I'm a monster now. A skeleton. Just another enemy to defeat on the path to become a powerful Spellcaster.

With each of their spells hitting me, I feel my bones crack and break. My eyes unfocused, as my sword weaves those symbols in the air like my life depended on it, knowing well that there is no life to protect in me anymore.

A Dark Fairy spell hits me and I slip on the floor, my leg collapsing under my weight and shattering in a mess of bones. With a last scream, my dear friend banshee disappears, taken down by a scarab.

I force myself to draw one last symbol, but I'm too weak. It merely dissolves into dust as my willpower faded.

A spell is aimed at me. A Firecat! I don't care for my body anymore, but the Scrapbook is still in my hand! I crawl into a ball to protect it. The blast sends parts of my undead body flying everywhere, incinerating my clothes.

The wizard approaches all that is left of me with a smile, takes out the Scrapbook, whose cover was singed by the last spell. I glare at him as he turns without sparing me a second glance and leaves the room.

I curse you, Malistaire! I curse you, Wizards! May your magic be your undoing! Then, my eyes see no more, staring straight in the darkness that is Death. Sylvia, I'll find the courage this time…

* * *

 _Poor guy… Misunderstandings do seem to happen often. Anyway, get ready to follow me to the next story fragment, whenever that may be._

 _I've got to say, time does flow differently in your world and mine, the time it may take for us to get to the next story might translate into days and weeks there, depending on how fast that lazy author writes..._

 _In the meantime, you can ask me questions. I will try to answer you to the best of my abilities. Want to know more about me? This place? goxeris's stories? I'm the one you should ask!_


	3. The Wizard Huntress

_That was close... Are you alright? Something weird happpened in this section of the library and part of the story had been damaged. I managed to fix it up to its previous state, but sweet Ra, it wasn't easy._

 _The next story I'm going to show you was written during Christmas time and... it didn't turn out too well..._

 _I thought we could get to some juicy world-building stuff for FoaW's universe, or a cheery party with many characters, but as it often happens with that unreliable author, he just gets random ideas and throws them at me to organize. *sigh*_

 _As you might have guessed by the ghosts haunting this section of the library, the army of Malorn Ashtorns eating biscuits down there, and the wolf munching at my robe, this doesn't contain fancy Christmas trees and happy things._

 _This is an alternate future in which Rose was never accepted at Ravenwood and due to some shocking events, the Spiral changed for the worse._

 _I think you can read this without having read anything else, but Seeking Magic sure helps to get a better grasp of who Rose is, and her relationships with other characters._

* * *

 _ **The Wizard Huntress**_

* * *

Grey clouds obscured the night sky and snowflakes gently fell down to the city's pavement, covering it in a thin layer of frost. Christmas lights decorated most of the buildings, illuminating the narrow streets of Marleybone and spreading happiness to all.

"You're lucky, Master. She isn't a Thaumaturge. Snow won't help her," Rocky, the rock said, speaking directly to its master through telepathy.

"Yeah, we sure are..." the Master said. Her voice reflected how she felt inside with its slow, apathetic tone.

"You can't keep dwelling in the past, Master."

"I know. It's just... give me a minute."

"Yeah, right. A minute is all it takes for her to get away. I should give you some credit though, I honestly didn't think you were brave enough to come back here after what has happened. Isn't that right, Rose?"

The Master chuckled. It was a lifeless chuckle. "You never call me that, Rocky."

"I am your familiar, Master. I do what is necessary to keep you on the thin edge between sanity and madness."

"Familiars usually are bound to Wizards," Rose scoffed. "But you surely do a good job of driving me crazy, that I concede."

She gave a quick glance to the empty street. Spotting a trail of footprints and recognizing them as her target's, she resumed her jog. Targets. Wizards were nothing more than targets for her ever since that fateful day. It wasn't hard to keep track of them, even in the middle of the night. Her eyesight had improved dramatically since she had started training as a huntress.

Marleybone didn't seem to have changed much during her absence. The buildings stood strong and unchanging at the side of the road. She would have opted to follow her target by ambushing her from the roofs, but this time, it was a battle that needed to be fought face to face.

"She's heading there, isn't she?" Rose said, peering into the distance towards a familiar street.

"That's right. You can still turn around and avoid confrontation if you wish so. I'm sure Pirate boy will cover for you."

Rose shook her head and pinched her cheek. "I'm good. Let's go."

The snow crunched under her boots as she kept following the trail. Her hand slowly went to her quiver to make sure she still had enough ammunition. Normal arrows, explosive arrows, and poisonous arrows. Nothing was missing. Her bow was ready in her hands.

How did it come to this? As soon as her mind formulated that doubt, she discarded it immediately. She knew the reason perfectly well.

Her breath almost stopped and her heart sunk as she passed in front of the remains of a particular building. Its walls were nothing more but a pile of rubble amassed one over the other and a fence separated the street from its entrance. On the fence, a single iron plaque described what had transpired in that place years ago.

"They kept it as it was, huh?" Rocky said.

"Yeah, as a warning to those who try to become self-taught wizards," Rose replied, tightening her grip on her bow.

She didn't need to read it to know what had happened that day. The day when she had tried to cast that spell. Rubble was all that remained of her house. Her own family was dead because of her selfish desire.

With difficulty, Rose looked away and kept going. It was like running with chains bound to her legs. Chains that pulled her back towards her former house. Back towards her past.

A familiar gate came into view. It was different from the last time she had been there. Plants had started to climb their way upwards, covering the rusty iron bars in green leaves. Rose didn't need to open the gate. It had already been opened by the wizard.

"Last chance, Master."

Rose took a deep breath and walked forward into the garden. Luxuriant plants and trees welcomed her, growing everywhere and without order. The place had been abandoned for years after the Dreadfuls had been driven out. Nobody even dared to enter their once well-kept garden. Not that they even had a reason to do so after the Spiral's first great purge.

At the centre of the garden, a girl, dressed in fine black robes, stood alone. Tears rolled down her cheeks as she sobbed in pain, looking at what had become of the place she once called home.

"Penny, long time no see," Rose said, barely keeping her voice from shaking.

"Rose... are you here to kill me?" Penny asked with a wry smile.

"All wizards are enemies."

"I understand."

Rose readied her bow and nocked an arrow to the bowstring."Don't make it harder than it should be."

Penny shrugged in resignation."I won't."

The arrow was released with a hiss. It quickly covered the distance between the two girls, aiming straight for Penny's heart. A ward materialized around the Necromancer just an instant before the projectile could pierce through her skin. Both Rose and Penny eyed it in bewilderment.

Rose made a step back and her hand went for another arrow. The only words that exited her mouth formed a simple question in surprise, "Why?!"

"I can't... control it..." Penny cried out as more tears streamed down her cheeks. Her shadow grew and stretched on the ground. It enlarged and grew claws and horns, standing up behind Penny like a guardian who would do anything to protect its charge. Evil red light sparkled where its eyes should have been and glared at Rose with dangerous intensity.

Penny brought her hands to her head and released a sharp cry as if her brain was being stabbed by countless needles. Rose braced herself as a wave of shadow magic erupted from Penny. It took down trees, bushes, and grass in a wide circle around her.

The huntress found herself thrown backwards by the blast. Shadowy filaments of magic attached themselves to her like spider-silk and Rose could feel the madness emanating from them like distant echoes of Penny's voice.

Another voice laughed at her from what appeared to be far away and she wasn't sure whether she had actually heard it, or was it all in her head. It felt like an eternity later when she finally landed on the ground, crashing into the trunk of a fallen tree.

Helping herself up with trembling arms, she eyed Penny in bewilderment. Penny returned her stare and a twisted smile deformed her features."Long live the Shadow Queen!" Penny shouted.

"It's too late... She isn't the Penny you once knew, Master! Her own Magic drove her to madness!"

Rose stepped out of the way as skeletal hands erupted from the terrain to grab her. She then rolled sideways to avoid a blast of magic sent her way by the necromancer and hid behind a tree trunk to catch her breath.

"Don't hide, Rose! Come out and play!" Penny said in a cheerful tone. Shadowy tendrils erupted from the tree's shadow, binding Rose's body like unbreakable ropes.

Penny laughed."There you are, Rose. Don't worry, everything will be over soon."

"Rocky, she's too powerful, I need to use some magic against her. Help me out!" Rose said. A slight pressure on her mind confirmed Rocky's agreement.

Rose focused and called upon her Magic. She hadn't done so since Morganthe had won her battle against Wizard City. There were dire consequences for seeking out that power after the Spiral had been altered. Magic itself was bound to Morganthe's will through the use of the Song of Creation. Rose's own family had died because she had reached for that forbidden power without swearing eternal fealty to the Queen of the Shadow Web.

Steeling her resolve, she closed her eyes and dived into her Magic. She found herself in her own mental image of the Dreadful's garden. Plants were dead and hollow trees lifted their branches to the empty sky in a silent plea for help. Shadows stretched from them and chained up everything in their grip.

Myth Magic called out to her. The book that contained all her magical knowledge floated midair in the middle of the garden, its soft glow shrouded in endless shadows. The Shadows enlarged when she dared to make a step forward. They swallowed everything up like an immense ocean of darkness. She swam through it, reaching out her hand for the glowing book.

Morganthe talked to her through Shadow Magic. There was no difference between the Shadow Queen and the power of shadow after her victory in Khrysalis. They were one and the same.

"You seek power, child. I can give it to you, if you surrender to me," Morganthe spoke. The voice pierced right through Rose's mind like a needle, scattering thoughts and digging for Rose's innermost desires.

"Whatever you want, I can give you. All Magic is under my command," Morganthe insisted. People appeared on the other side of the sea of darkness. Her mother with her strict but kind expression, her father with his playful smile, and her grandfather with his eyes that seemed to see right through her.

"Mom, Dad, Grandpa..." Rose called out weakly.

Another figure joined them. It was Penny, she walked on top of the shadows and waved at her. She spoke soft words with a warm smile. "Let's go to Ravenwood together, Rose. It will be awesome!"

"Penny..."

"Master, Stop! She'll drive you to madness too!" Rocky warned. Its voice sounded like a whisper among the big promises of the Umbra Queen.

Rose widened her eyes in fear. Her hand was reaching out for Penny, almost touching her. With difficulty, she withdrew it and turned back to the glowing book.

Her mind had regained enough clarity to see some of the truth behind Morganthe's vivid illusions. A web of shadows stretched around the book, capturing whoever tried to use magic without the permission of the Shadow Queen, trapping them in endless nightmares and madness.

The images became more insistent, they called out to her. They Told her that everything was going to be alright if she joined them in the shadow web. With tears streaming down her cheeks, Rose made one last attempt to reach for the book. The pages rapidly turned as it opened and filled her with power.

Her eyes popped open just before Penny could disintegrate her with a spell. Rose's body glowed golden, and before she knew it, she fell on the ground at a safe distance from Penny. The Teleportation spell had been a success.

Penny turned to face her and laughed. She bent in two holding her chest and her eyes teared up in amusement. "Magic against magic, huh? Morganthe will win either way!"

Rose shot an explosive arrow in an attempt to exploit Penny's distraction, but the necromancer's shadow intercepted it before it could get to her. The explosion destroyed the shadow's hand, but not even an instant passed, that the hand reformed as if nothing had happened at all.

"You need to separate those two or you'll get nowhere," Rocky pointed out.

"I know!" Rose complained, gasping in surprise when her mad run to take cover behind a bush was thwarted by the complete annihilation of said bush by a magical blast.

Skeletons and ghouls slowly surfaced from the terrain. There were at least twenty coming out at the same time, and if Penny's fame as an invincible Necromancer was to be believed, others were soon to follow.

Rose readied explosive arrows and destroyed any undead that approached her while she zigzagged to get out of the way of penny's powerful spells. The constant running and evading had her soon covered in sweat and gasping for breath, but the undead continued to arrive.

Cuts and bruises covered her skin where the ghouls had tried to grab her or where she had attempted some riskier maneuvers to hit penny directly. Her training as a huntress had made her more agile than any normal human, but she couldn't keep it up forever.

"You need to summon something!" Rocky shouted in panic.

Rose agreed with him, if not for a simple truth; she had never summoned anything in her whole life. After kicking a ghoul out of the way, she made a run for the house, looking for a place where she wasn't in constant danger.

"Are you going to leave me here, all alone?" Penny said as she was left behind. Her voice seemed so genuine that Rose almost stopped to look back.

Luckily she didn't and managed to dodge a spell sent her way before it got to her. With the rattling of bones and the spooky growls of the ghouls at her back, she zigzagged her way to the mansion's door. Once she got there, she didn't lose time and burst it open using a simple unlocking spell. That was one of the first things she had learned as she tried to study magic on her own.

Closing the door behind herself, she made a run for the corridors. Dreadful Mansion was huge, even more so on the inside than on the outside. The place was worse off than the garden. Furniture lied messily around, broken to pieces, the windows had their glass missing, lying shattered on the floor, portraits were shredded by what seemed to be a wild beast equipped with deadly claws, and cobwebs filled every corner like in a fancy spider hotel.

Rose heard the door burst open behind her as she made her way up the stairs. She ran through a corridor devoid of furniture if not for a singed red carpet that ran through all its length. Without thinking too much about it, she slipped into the first room that came in sight and closed the door behind herself. Getting a better Look at her surroundings, Rose bit her lip. It was Penny's former bedroom.

As in the other rooms of the mansion, everything was in disarray. Rose remembered how Penny was a very tidy person. Her room had once been a perfectionist's dream, but standing among the broken furniture, scattered pages and thorn stuffed toys, whose insides were laying about, Rose realized that her friend wasn't coming back. What remained of Penny was but a mere husk awaiting freedom.

"Master, quick, cast a spell!" Rocky insisted.

"Right…" Rose replied, shaking herself from her musings.

Before she could even try to focus her energy. She was slammed back into the wall. Her back protested in pain and her head spun as it crashed onto the hard stone surface with violence. Her mind couldn't process what had just happened and her vision was a blur. That was when Penny's voice reached her, coming from the shadows.

"I found you again, Rose. Are you trying to organize a sleepover party for Christmas?"

Rose groaned as she tried to break free. Penny's shadow had her pinned to the wall with its clawed hand, and any attempt of movement was met with it mercilessly tightening the grip. Rose didn't know how much could her bones take before they broke under such strength.

Her bow had fallen somewhere on the floor, but she still had an arrow in her hand, even though it was a normal one. Her mind started racing, trying to formulate a plan to escape her predicament.

"I figured mere ghouls and skeletons aren't the best way to kill my best friend, don't you think? Let's do something better!"

Without waiting for an answer from Rose, Penny turned towards the window and started casting a spell. Mana condensed in front of her and two power pips and a white pip appeared, spinning at high speed around a shadow pip like planets around the sun. The Death Symbol materialized in front of her and she touched it with her palm, activating her spell.

Just as Rose, gaping for breath, had managed to fish an idea that could have worked, her mind went blank in terror. Out of the window, the entire garden disappeared beneath a sea of black, ominous water. An enormous riptide sucked everything in. Trees which uselessly tried to anchor themselves to the ground were the first to go down and they never came back up. The sky blackened, and menacing black clouds swirled around the vortex in a brewing storm.

The mansion's walls shook and then the mansion itself moved, floating like a boat in the middle of the ocean. Rose stared in horror as she understood that the entire building was being dragged into the depths of whatever Penny had just summoned.

A sound filled the air almost like the laments of an enormous whale. Large tentacles erupted from the middle of the riptide and after them, an enormous, creature. Its color was a sickly grey and its entire body consisted of a single round wrinkly head equipped three glowing yellow eyes.

A sudden tug of the currents and the mansion spurred forward towards the middle of the maelstrom. The creature levitated above the whirlpool waiting for its prey to get closer.

"Want to stare at it until you're dead, Master?" Rocky's voice made Rose snap out of her horror.

She glanced at her surroundings and tried to flesh out her idea. Her bow was on the floor, useless unless she could get a hold of it, The shadow was too strong for her to defeat and Penny was protected by what seemed to be a powerful ward.

In an instant, she told Rocky the plan. The familiar helped her focus and her magic flowed into the arrow. Gritting her teeth, she violently stabbed the shadow's hand with it. The shadow lost its grip on her as it howled in pain and Rose used the opportunity to slip to the ground and take hold of her bow, ready an explosive arrow and aim it straight at Penny.

She had been able to create pips only once in her whole life, and it had been when her spell had killed her family. Regardless, she squashed every doubt, and under Rocky's guide, three pips appeared in front of her. Releasing her arrow in a smooth trained motion, she silently willed the spell to work.

"Shatter! Shatter! Shatter!" she didn't know if she was screaming to Rocky or no one at all.

The world seemed to slow down as the arrow made its way towards Penny, who had just enough time to morph her triumphant grin in an grimace of fear before the arrow was released. The shadow wasn't fast enough to stop it and the wards crumbled under the power of 'Shatter'.

The arrow pierced right through Penny's chest and exploded, sending her body flying out of the window and blood splattering on the walls.

The shadow erupted in a long piercing scream before dissolving into thin air and Rose dropped her bow in exhaustion. She caught a few messy breaths and leaned back. She hadn't expected her mana to drain that fast after a single spell.

Despite the howls of the creature outside, everything seemed distant to Rose. The image of Penny's face and the fear in her eyes just before the arrow took her life.

"Master, there is no time for resting, that thing is still outside!" Rocky shouted.

Rose ignored her aching body and slowly stood up. If Rocky hadn't shouted it to her, she would have gladly stayed in the room. The maelstrom was still going on and the mansion was coming dangerously close to the creature that stood in the middle of it.

Groaning in protest, Rose forced herself to move, leaning on the walls for support and walking through the corridors of the mansion. It took a long amount of time for her to reach the rooftop and by the time she got there, the mansion had already half sunk into the dark waters and had started circling around the large vortex. Looking around, other Marleybonian buildings were following the very same fate.

The battle against Penny came at a great cost.

Rose glared at the creature and blinded by anger, shot many arrows, one after another with no reason at all but to get revenge against whatever forces had taken Penny away from her. The creature wasn't bothered by them and most of the projectiles didn't even reach it, losing momentum in the strong gusts of wind.

"There isn't much we can do, Master…" Rocky attempted.

"I know!" Rose shouted back with shattered voice, falling to her knees as the water slowly rose up, splashing all over her and bringing with it the smell of rotten corpses. Her wet hair kept sticking on her face and her clothes were drenched in cold water. Rose realized that she didn't even care.

She didn't even know how she felt. Anger, fear, and sorrow overwhelmed her all at once. She had killed her best friend, and now she was heading to her own watery grave. Maybe she deserved it after all.

The sound of a cannon made her lift her gaze in surprise. In the sky, a small flying ship challenged the mighty winds. The explosions of the projectile hitting the creature reached Rose's ears and almost instantly, the pained cry of the beast followed.

The creature reacted on instinct and lifted its tentacles to protect the main body, backing away from the approaching attacker. As it did that, the Maelstrom seemed to lessen. After a few more shots, whoever was on board of the small ship seemed to understand that no matter how many times the creature was shot, there was no way of landing a decisive blow. The ship steered back, flying towards Dreadful Mansion.

Rose waved at it in an attempt to be noticed, and a tired smile made its way to her face. A rope was thrown at her and she caught it. In no time at all, she was on board, getting away from the Maelstrom as it swallowed up the area surrounding Dreadful Mansion.

After a few minutes any building that had been caught in those dangerous waters had disappeared from sight and the maelstrom slowly faded out of existence as the creature went back beneath the waves.

"By the powers, Rose!" The pirate going by Fearless Mark Quentin said, peering into the distance with his telescope. "Ye would'ave sunk to the bottom o' the sea if it weren't fer me!"

He was quite tall, with scruffy brown hair and bright hazel eyes. His current attire consisted of his inseparable black captain tri-cornered hat, ragged black pants, worn out black boots, and a bright red coat left unbuttoned over a white shirt.

"Tell me something I don't know, Mark. The mission is complete. Let's head back to HQ," Rose cut it short, trying to keep a straight tone of voice and avoid crying over what had just happened.

Penny wasn't there anymore. She killed her. No matter how much she tried to justify her actions, it just wasn't right.

"Aye," Mark replied, sending the commands to his crew.

Rose bit her lip and before Mark could walk away from her, she said, "Mark, If I ever use magic again and succumb to the Umbra Queen… put an end to me."

Mark didn't reply instantly, but waited for a few seconds. He sighed and then spoke again in a softer tone, "Aye."

After a few more moments of silence, Mark approached her again, waving a small present wrapped in golden paper in front of her face."I nigh-on forgot about it, but Merry Christmas, Rose."

She took it with shaky hands. She had made it clear that she didn't want any presents for Christmas. She didn't deserve to receive any gift after what she had done. She looked at Mark and glared.

Once that guy set his mind on something, there was no amount of arguing or shouting that could make him desist. She sighed and slowly unpacked her present. It was an enchanted knife. Something pretty rare in those days.

Mark scratched the back of his neck and said, "Ye lost yer knife to save me that time."

"Woah, Pirate boy is doing one nice thing after another today," Rocky said.

Rose resisted the urge to roll her eyes at Rocky's comment and simply said, "Thank you, Mark."

Mark smiled and made his way to the captain's cabin, leaving her alone to watch Marleybone fade off into the distance.

Rose smiled dryly and sheathed the knife into her belt. She looked towards the world where her family and her best friend had found their demise. A single tear rolled down her cheek and she sarcastically muttered, "Merry Christmas, Rose."

* * *

 _Had fun with it? Well, while you read it I managed to free my robe from that nasty wolf. Oh, and goxeris warned me to avoid ranting about being ignored. Meh, sometimes I wish he was the OC and I was the author, life would be sooo much better. Oh, well. Maybe I'll find something to help me out switching places in the Fragmented Library… Off to the next section!_


	4. Pacify

_It's been a while, hasn't it? In your world, that is…_

 _We have finally left the room of Forgotten Dreams and entered the grand corridor of Hidden Realities. Realities… There are many undiscovered truths here... just don't step ahead of yourself and think you have everything figured out._

 _For the Fragmented Library shifts and changes with no end, causing realities to be forgotten and dreams to awake._

 _This specific story revolves around an unpopular spell... Did this really happen? I don't know. It is up to you to decide. But perhaps..._

* * *

 ** _Pacify_**

* * *

Black skies above me, shrouded by a thin layer of menacing, grey clouds. A narrow, cobblestone path stretches under my boots, slithering among withered plants and blocks of stone. Hazy mist hugs my ankles, twirling ever so slightly in response to the waving of my cloak. My hands clench tight a stack of papers, scribbled to the brim with carefully ordered notes, necessary to write the monthly edition of the Ravenwood Bulletin.

A single question rises above all others as my pace diminishes until my walk comes to an abrupt stop.

Where am I?

Indeed, the place doesn't look familiar. Not a hint of recognition sparks within my eyes as my gaze glosses over the broken tombstones, lingering for mere moments over the ancient engravings, written in ancient languages which I do not understand.

How did I end up here?

The second question comes only a few instants later and it quickly takes priority. I remember that I was making my way to the dormitory when I found myself here. I turn back to retrace my steps, finding only flat rocky surface to greet me. The cliff stretches in all its height towards the sky, so high that I can't see the top.

I move the stack of papers under my armpit and fish in my robe's pocket for my wand. Soon it is in my hand, ready for use.

Silence breaks as I mutter spell after spell, words flowing through in the stagnant air searching for clues. A soft glimmer reveals the cause of my predicament: a simple magic circle is chalked on the floor. My understanding of runes is enough to find out that it is a one-way teleportation to this place.

No matter how you look at it, the entire situation is…

I notice the flutter of white wings in the corner of my vision, and I quickly turn towards it. The bird must have disappeared before I could have taken a good look at it as I see nothing but tombstones.

I sigh and shake my head, relieving any tension that had built up in my body.

It must be a prank.

Pranks are very common between Ravenwood students, and usually, necromancer's ones tend to be rather creepy.

There is no immediate threat and even if there is, I can definitely deal with it: my spell repertoire is vast, and my Storm Magic is very powerful. Besides, even if the prank takes a dangerous turn I can always teleport back to the Commons. It will be a welcome diversion from the enormous pile of homework that is waiting for me back in my room.

I advance down the cobblestone road, mist parting away to let me pass, almost beckoning me forward. Two buildings emerge from the darkness as my eyes adjust to the shadows.

A tower, bends in a weird angle on the right side of the path, the ominous drawing of a skull is engraved over the door. On the left, surrounded by tombstones, stands a low building. It is built in sturdy grey stone and it has partly sunk into the ground. The walls show visible cracks, proof of great damage caused by a strong force, perhaps an earthquake. The remains of a stone arc, which must have once connected it to the tower, branches aimlessly from atop the entrance door, making it look like a pitiful attempt at reaching out for the world. Close to the building, a tree devoid of leaves rises up to greet the sky, an unmoving face carved on its bark.

I gasp in shock at the sight: there is no doubt that the building is the Death School, which had mysteriously disappeared from Ravenwood overnight more than a year ago. Soft light barely filters through the windows, heavily guarded by black curtains that seem put in place to shut out the outside world. I almost break into a run, my curiosity begging to be satisfied.

Why is the Death School here? Is someone already inside? Just… what happened to it?

The soft flutter of white wings in the corner of my eye distracts me from my thoughts. I stop my walk and turn towards the source of the movement. A lonely white dove flies above the mist, zigzagging between the branches of Mortis, the Death Tree, and disappearing from sight.

A sudden calm fills me whole. My excitement dims as I breath in and out. A funny smell, akin to rotten meat, fills my lungs. I do not mind it, remembering all too well how the very same smell seemed to propagate from the Death School when it was still firmly standing between Fire and Myth's classroom.

Suddenly the prospect of rushing to the school loses all of its appeal. I can always go there later and talk to the tree first. It would be rather rude to just ignore him, magical trees were well-respected entities after all… Maybe Mortis knows something about the Death School's predicament.

As I approach the tree, something else catches my eye: two figures stand in the shadow of the tree, one brandishing a shovel, rhythmically digging what appears to be a rather big hole, while the other watches from the sidelines. A pile of dirt on the side of the hole makes me think that they had been at it for a while.

My feet bring me towards them on their own accord, my every movement closely followed by Mortis's judgemental stare. One of the figures turns to look at me: it's a girl, seemingly of fourteen years of age, clothed in black wizard robes with red trimmings. Atop her head, she wears a matching black beret, and in her hand, she wields a rusty dagger. A cascade of raven black hair descends all the way from her head to her elbows, and mischievous black eyes watch me with a glint of amusement.

"Good evening, fellow mortal, are you lost?" she says, a smile brightening up her face.

"uh...um…" Somehow I'm unable to reply. There is something about her that draws me in. Perhaps it's her smile… it lures me in like a warm candle in the middle of a dark maze. Yet, it also sends shivers down my spine, making me feel as if I'm standing on the edge of a cliff, a small push away from falling down.

The girl rolls her eyes at my mumbling and says, "Yes, you definitely are lost… Anyhow, I welcome you to Nightside, the place where dreams fade and magic comes to die."

The dove flies above us, circling into the air in slow, hypnotic patterns, almost as if it waited for the girl to talk first. I'm distracted by it once again, my gaze irresistibly attracted to its pure, untainted feathers, my mind going completely blank as peace washes over me.

I am completely relaxed, inhaling the smell of death and decay as if it was nothing more than the scent of flowers. I would linger more, but I know I can't. This place is weird… there is something that gnaws at the back of my mind… a silent warning…

I try to shake myself from my stupor, my reactions are slower than usual, shrouded in a lethargy that I gladly welcome. For too long have I been working hard: Studying Storm Magic, traveling to other words on the headmaster's behalf, and devoting all of my free time to work on the Ravenwood Bulletin.

For the first time since I enrolled in the magic school, I find myself wishing for a break. A long break, where problems won't bother me for a very long while. A long break in a place where I won't just find myself teleported to random places because of someone else's dumb prank.

But is it really a prank? The more I look into it, the less it seems so. The Death School and Mortis… They are the real deal… I'm sure they are…

Questions, questions, questions. They are bothersome things that prevent my tired mind from just shutting down completely. Is it really necessary to ask more about this place? About the Death School and Mortis? Wouldn't it be better to just sit on the dead grass and take a nap?

Maybe I should ask, just to be sure… so I can be completely at ease…

I take a deep breath, an action which seems like a pointless waste of energy, and ask the girl a couple of questions. It is a miracle that my words don't convey how little I care about the answers I seek. "Why is the Death School here? and… where exactly is… here?"

"I already told you, this is Nightside." My face must have conveyed my utter confusion because the girl continued, giving an explanation. "Rumors say that sometimes, when no one is watching, buildings disappear from Wizard City, sometimes people too. Nobody questions it, nobody truly believes that they really disappear."

The girl's smile widens as she talks, her tone growing amused, almost mocking. "But what if it is true? Where do things that disappear end up to? Well, they sink under the ground, all the way to the other side of the world, never to be seen again. All the way to Nightside."

I am not sure that I understand everything she tells me. A hazy mist seems to settle in front of my vision, and for all the blinking, I can't seem to get rid of it. Regardless, I would feel like an idiot if she discovered that I can't seem to get a sense of her words. She was talking about myths, right? I remember reading something about Nightside once… What was it? I can't remember…

"You… what are you two doing here... in this place?" my unenthusiastic question leaves my mouth begrudgingly. The unease at the back of my mind not giving me a break. Silence, broken only by the rhythmic sound of the shovel digging into the earth follows for a few seconds.

"I guess we really look shady, don't we, Marla? mean... two girls, all alone in Nightside digging under Mortis… It's certainly the stuff of nightmares!" she giggles, and the other girl offers a half-hearted groan as she proceeds in her efforts to dig deeper.

The girl approaches and pats me gently on the shoulder. "Relax, we come from Ravenwood too, you know? It's just that we stopped here to try out an itty-bitty experiment."

I nod stupidly, unsure on how to respond. It makes sense, I guess… the girl strikes me as a Death Wizard, perhaps an adept… the best place to carry out experiments is definitely under Mortis's supervision. Although… something doesn't add up. "Shouldn't you tell the headmaster about this place… before trying out experiments?"

"Of course, as soon as we're done here we will tell him... unless you want to go ahead and make your way to his office before us? It's quite easy and I can show you the path out of here."

I think about it: maybe I really should. I would get praised by the teachers if I do… relaying such important information would surely get me extra credits… but when I think about it… it's bothersome even to focus enough to teleport, let alone make all the way out on foot. I am too tired for that… this place is too peaceful, perfect for a break…

The papers which had been safely tucked under my armpit feel heavy. My arm loosens up and drops them, scattering them on the floor like dead leaves in autumn. I try to gather them up, but the girl stops me. "You are tired, just sit here and relax for a little bit. Marla and I are almost done."

I do as I'm told, and I instantly feel relieved, content to bask in the humid mist, which slowly seeps through my clothes. The girl doesn't seem to care enough about my papers to try and gather them up, going back to her friend and looking down into the hole with satisfaction. Truthfully, I don't care about the papers all that much either, I'll just gather them up later.

The digging continues, Marla still going strong without uttering a single word. She stubbornly digs a bigger hole, with no excessive movements and without stopping, almost like a drone. Her black robes are dirty and tattered, hands pale as she keeps her grip on the shovel.

"Doesn't she get tired?" I ask addressing the other girl.

"Nope, she is really good at digging holes. Definitely can manage to dig one on her own." Marla seems to agree, with a groan and a nod, quickly going back to her job without delay.

I slowly nod in understanding, my gaze lingering on the tombstones behind Mortis. Now that I am seated, I feel like the mist in my mind has slightly dispersed. "Why are you digging that close to Mortis?"

"That's because we are trying to help him. You see… he isn't feeling all that well, so we need to help him out. Even trees need to get some extra energy from time to time."

"Oh, right…"

"Want to help us out? We will finish faster with the help of an upperclassman. Mortis will be glad to get a taste of more powerful magic."

I look at Mortis, whose expression hasn't changed all throughout my talk with the girl. His grey eyes crackle with unspeakable power and observe me with indifference.

"I'll help," I say. "I might be a Magus Diviner, but I sure had a bit of experience with Death Magic."

"Wonderful!" The girl offers me her hand and I take it. Her hand is wet and sticky, perhaps covered in sweat because of nervousness. A metallic scent tickles my nostrils as I get up; it is sweet, a kind of sweetness that somehow ties my stomach into a knot.

Marla stops digging as we approach her and casts the shovel aside. I look into the hole: Inside, there is nothing but cold dirt and the aimless writhing of earthworms. Marla points to me, then to the hole, and grumbles something I don't understand. I can't see her expression very well in the dark, and unlike her friend, she doesn't approach me.

"Oh, my! I've never seen Marla so eager to do something!" the girl exclaims in delight. Marla slowly nods to her friend and steps into the hole.

"Do I… have to step in too?"

"Indeed. You actually need to lie down in it. You'll understand why when we start the magic." The girl blinks and grins.

My eyes linger on hers, almost drowning in those black pits of mischief. The soft flutter of white wings fill my ears and I smile back. I feel safe, I feel… at peace. I find myself stepping into the hole. It has a weird shape: it isn't too deep and large, but it is just big enough for both, Marla and I, to lie down comfortably.

"Good job, think of it as a bed… or a grave," the girl giggles. I chuckle at her joke and Marla joins in too with one of her inaudible grumbles.

The nauseating smell of decayed flesh fills my lungs and I welcome it. It brings with it peace and quiet. The peace and quiet that I always yearned and never achieved, an eternal tranquility that I can not do without.

"I will do a bit of my magic now, just relax," the girl says, taking up the shovel.

I turn towards Marla, who is lying down beside me, eyes closed and body completely still like a lifeless doll. I raise my hand to my face and look at it. The palm is covered in sticky blood, proof of a life that once was and is no more. Finally, my brain, swimming in the unforgiving seas of lethargy, makes the connection.

"Ah…" I murmur, my hand moves to Marla's hat and I take it off, revealing her misshapen head, cracked inward by a violent hit. Coagulated blood sticks to her black hair like gel and vermin swim in it, eating her alive. I inhale deeply once more, reveling in the overpowering scent of the dead and smile. "She has already found peace."

I slowly turn back towards the other girl, who is busy covering us with soil, performing her own magic without casting spells, using only strength and hard work. The shovel goes in and out, in and out, adding layer upon layer of Nightside's humid ground on top of our still bodies.

Eventually, my lungs fill with earth and my eyes close. I don't mind the coldness that seeps into my bones, I don't mind the weak spasms of protest as I slowly suffocate, and I don't mind the panic gnawing at the back of my mind, screaming for me to cast even one simple spell to save myself.

All is an afterthought as I gaze upwards to the dove that graciously flies in circles above me.

I am finally at peace...


	5. A Master's New Beginning

_This corridor sure is long, isn't it? We've probably been walking for a few minutes now, or maybe weeks… Yes, weeks could be the right time, but it is definitely difficult to tell._

 _Look at those portraits. They are fascinating, aren't they? I used to have long conversations with them when the author wasn't here much and they really do know how to crack some jokes! I haven't spoken much with them recently, you know… after becoming the tour guide of the Library and all that… but enough of that._

 _Since we are here, dear visitor, you might probably want to know more about this place. From where can I begin though? Hmm… perhaps, a simple question will suffice._

 _Did you ever wonder if the world around you is real?_

 _I can tell you that I wonder about it a lot. This Library… it was created by the author. Here I live and exist, but is it really like that though? Perhaps you think I do not exist after all…Just another character from a story._

 _You won't reply? Don't worry, you are allowed to think of me as fictional. In fact, I do the same with you._

 _Anyhow, in the corridor of the hidden realities nothing is fake and nothing is real, so in the end it doesn't really matter, does it? There are stories in which the esteemed professor Wu reveals herself as the creator of the First World, stories in which the Rat is secretly a Time travelling version of Captain Coleridge, and stories in which Morganthe tries to mass produce Plushie spiders and miserably fails._

 _This particular story is themed after Beginnings. It seems it was written for some sort of… event in your world. What do i know? Haven't seen that foolish author in a while._

* * *

 _ **A Master's New Beginning**_

* * *

Worlds float and circle like lazy moths around the celestian crystal hanging from the ceiling of Gamma's tower. The miniatures of pyramids rise above the golden sands of a mini Krokotopia and ominous towers dwarf in comparison to the gigantic volcano in the small version of Dragonspyre. Some worlds almost cross paths during their eternal dance illuminated by the soft light engulfing the room but never outright meet.

Upon looking at them I feel like I can touch them if I reach out. What stops me is the thought that they are fake, utterly fake. Out of all people, I should know.

Those tiny worlds are nothing more than detailed holograms, showing the viewer a mere illusion of what the real worlds look like. If one is to inspect them closer, their fake nature would surely be revealed. They would blur and deform as the magic which sustains the illusion shows its true colors. In a way… they are just like me.

I shake myself from my thoughts and focus on the task at hand. The unconscious form of the headmaster's damned owl sprawled unconscious on the expensive red carpet covering the stone floor. The bird's purple mortarboard hasn't fallen too far away and I pick it up as I drag the body towards the side of the room. I scan the multiple bookcases stacked with magical tomes, unreliable artifacts, and colorful potions with a critical eye, but I soon understand that they aren't good hiding places for unconscious owls.

My eyes finally fall upon a sturdy wooden desk engraved with Ravenwood's emblem. Two lit candles illuminate a bunch of books and scrolls gathering dust on it, perhaps the forgotten texts for an important magical research. The spot looks promising.

Paying attention not to alter the position of any of the objects in the room, I begin my work. My hands work fast, tying ropes around Gamma's body so masterfully that it would be a miracle if the owl manages to do anything other than moving his neck. A gag finds its rightful place on the owl's annoying beak, a source of endless hooting about the most boring and complicated subjects of the entire Spiral. While I am at it, I strip him of a bunch of feathers and his tiny glasses, casting them aside for later. Finally, I stuff Gamma behind the desk, binding him to the floor with well-placed magical tape.

I smile, satisfied with my hard work, and search for the owl's belongings on the floor: It is time!

I remove my purple hat and boots first, soon followed by my blond wig and dress. Black and white stripes are now laid bare for the world to see and my hooves, free of any kind of shoe, thump softly on the floor as I hide the clothing that had once belonged to a young wizard girl.

It is refreshing… shedding my fake identity like a snake with its skin and ridding myself of the character I have been interpreting for the last few weeks.

Susie Gryphonbane is no more and Tse-tse Snaketail has returned!

I look back to Gamma's belongings committing all the details to memory. My mind instantly pictures the best way to put them together. The outfit needs to be believable, sporting an unkeen resemblance to the owl I will be impersonating for the next step of my plan. It needs to be perfect!

My trusted magical tape finds its way into my hoof once again. This time my mastery with it might not be enough though. The feathers look difficult to piece together and putting tape on everything might alarm such a smart person as the headmaster of Ravenwood. I will need something better. A more powerful tool that will make possible the impossible...

I smirk in satisfaction, knowing fully well that I possess such a tool. Almost with reverence, I take it out: It is a single tube of magical super glue.

For how dangerous it is to handle the glue, I begin my work, treading on the fine line between success and failure without talking. One mistake and my hooves will be glued to the feathers forever, resulting in an unrealistic mask. One mistake and my scheme will be over. That doesn't stop me, and the mask slowly takes form under my eyes.

Often, I turn around to eye the door leading to Ambrose's office. No sounds filter through, no matter how much I strain my ears, but I still remind myself not to get cocky. As Morganthe's Master of Disguise, I have come to expect the unexpected.

Morganthe… Her shadows were blinding. I have yet to accept the sad fate which befell her just as she was about to rewrite reality. I saw the battle with my own eyes from a dark corner of the room, praying with all my heart for the shadow queen's victory.

I didn't expect the young wizard to drive the Dark Lady back with such powerful magic, chanting spell after spell with surprising anger in her voice. The child sought revenge for the people of Azteca and her fury was coated in a subtle layer of shadows. It was a battle between powerful wizards, one of those fights which go down in history.

I could do nothing to change the end of the duel as my own spells were nothing compared to the shadow-infused monstrosities wreaking havoc in the Shadow Palace. I sat there, trembling under the guise of the wizard's pet and ignoring her orders to cast healing talents.

I would have stabbed the young wizard in the back if I could, but she was way out of my league. I would have certainly done it if given one small chance… really… or maybe I just didn't want to do it.

I did nothing as the Dark Lady made one last desperate attempt at channeling shadows. I watched as the glass shattered beneath her with an eerie crack and I gasped as she fell into the void below.

Her scream reminded me of myself. It reminded me of how I asked for her help in the depths of Mirror Lake. The only reply I ever got was the Dark Lady's merciless laugh as I lost my fight against the young wizard. To the Umbra Queen, I held no value other than being an expendable pawn.

Maybe the shadows she used to sway others to her cause finally lost their grip on me, or maybe seeing her fall was an eye-opener, but at that point, I realized I didn't necessarily need Morganthe. My silent prayers for her triumph came to an abrupt stop and bitter thoughts clung to the corners of my mind. I smiled when she fell, content with seeing my former master in such a helpless state. She was weak, I didn't need her.

When the wizard won the duel, I acted my part by improvising a few dance steps: I still needed to play the part of her loyal pet. A tug of disappointment in my throat contrasted with the warm, fuzzy relief spreading in my chest. I loathed the idea of Morganthe dying without accomplishing her goals, but at the same time… I was free. I was free to conjure plans of my own.

I sent one last glance to the starlit void and followed the young wizard back to Wizard City. I may have lost faith in my Dark Lady, but her honeyed words still whispered sweet promises of power in my ears. I had an insatiable thirst for conquest and even if the Umbra Legion was done for, I would have built my own army from scratch.

A new chapter of my life began that day. One without any master other than myself. I would have struck the wizard where it hurt most, starting my conquest where her adventure began. After all, it was her fault that my life was ruined. It was her that drowned my hopes and dreams in the depths of Mirror Lake...

Everyone will cower at the name of Tse-tse Snaketail! That was what I thought when I successfully infiltrated the city of wizards.

As the last feathers find their place on the mask my trip down memory lane ends. I nod to myself, acknowledging my good work. It isn't one of my best disguises, but given the time and place, it is pretty good.

I raise it to my eye level and inspect it one last time. The feathers look natural enough covering almost every inch of the mask flawlessly, but still giving enough room for the eyes. A big orange beak is attached to the disguise, taken from a firebird just for the occasion. It may be a tad bit different from Gamma's beak, but I'm sure I can make this work...

The next step of my plan requires utter concentration so I shake off any stray thoughts and focus on the present. I breathe in and out, looking at the mask with the utmost attention. The mask stares back at me even though it has no eyes to do so. I can almost hear it whispering the very same promises Morganthe spoke long ago.

It is time.

Every act has a beginning and an end. Every time one of my characters dies a new one is born. This is what I tell myself every time I change my identity. This has been my truth since I wore my first mask.

I don't merely disguise myself as another person… upon putting on the disguise I make sure to become another person. The words, the posture, the personality… they are theirs, not mine. My true self is content with sitting in the back and watch, issuing orders for the character to follow. I am a master of acting.

Tim-tim Snakeye, Tik-tik Wormtongue, Tom-tom Snakeskin… they were all original and unique characters that acted in different ways. No one could ever imagine that behind all of them there was only one person! I mean… their names are very different after all!

"This time… this time it will work," I whisper to myself.

My plans in Zafaria were perfect and yet I failed. Looking back, I would have gotten away with my schemes if it weren't for that meddling wizard…

The answer is simple: The young wizard needs to go. In order to do that, I have to proceed with the plan. I need to impersonate Gamma.

But who is Gamma?

The question asks more than just a simple name, it isn't an easy answer. As I put on the mask, all I remember about Gamma resurfaces. I remember the complicated mumbo-jumbo Gamma always speaks about, his know-it-all attitude, and his mannerism. I tentatively flap my arms like wings and change my voice to sound more similar to the owl's incessant hooting. I quickly get the hang of being Gamma, as expected of the Master of Disguises.

All of the info I had gathered about Ambrose's owl in the past few weeks as Susie is concentrated in this one single act. This is the moment of truth.

I pick up the glasses and mortarboard from the floor and put them on. They don't fit me all that well, but I have tricked people with far less convincing outfits.

I flap my arms aimlessly as I walk around the room in a perfect interpretation of a bird's flight and move towards the owl's usual spot. Gamma's perch isn't sturdy enough to maintain the weight of an adult zebra though, so after the first few attempts, I give up on sitting on it.

The room is quiet, and so it remains for interminably long minutes. The holograms of the worlds float mockingly above me as if daring me to conquer them all.

"I will… I surely will…" I mutter with a chuckle.

"Thinking about something funny, Gamma?"

I jump with a start as the voice catches me unaware. Merle Ambrose stands in the middle of the room with his trademark monocle, purple robe, and fancy staff. A few sparks of magic fade away around him as the light of the teleportation spell dims.

"WHAT THE-?! err… I mean… WHOOOO?!" I say, trying to act as natural as possible.

"No matter, I wanted to talk to you about an interesting idea." The headmaster shrugs my surprise off as if it were nothing and makes his way to the desk.

I nod and flap my featherless arms all the way to him, stretching my neck to see what he is doing. A crystal ball is on the desk, a purple mist swirling inside it like rain-heavy clouds. I focus on the magical object for a few seconds without seeing anything… perhaps there is some kind of advanced magic involved… the old man seems pretty focused on it…

"What do you think?" Merle Ambrose addresses me again after diverting his attention from the crystal ball back to me.

I visibly panic, sweat embedding my forefront and sticking to my mask. I search in my mind for any sentence of magical techno-babble I remember hearing from Gamma, but I come out empty-handed. Seconds pass as the headmaster looks at me, eyes staring into my soul.

Fortunately enough, I am a master of disguise, and come up with the perfect answer to get me out of the sticky situation. "Whoooooo!"

Merle Ambrose nods with a serious look on his face and turns back to the crystal ball. I breathe in a sigh of relief as he starts talking again. "Who indeed. The boy you see is a young pirate. His fight against the Armada is quite a fascinating tale… perhaps, he is to the pirates, what the young wizard is to us."

"Fascinating…" I say, unable to even fake happiness. One young wizard is enough of a problem, I definitely don't want two of them in my way.

"I am glad that you agree. I was thinking that the young pirate's quest for Eldorado may be over faster if we send the young wizard to help him out."

"Bartleby, no!" My reply comes out unexpectedly, and I quickly have to cover it up. "I mean… it would be best to send more people!"

Merle Ambrose looks at me with suspicion, his eyes lingering on my stripes and hooves. He then raises an eyebrow, "Have you gained weight recently?"

I roll my eyes and take hold of the nearest object I can find which just so happens to be the Book of Secret. With raw strength, I smack the headmaster with it repeatedly, without giving him time to even utter a single spell.

"Ouch! Ah! Gam-! What?! Ouch!"

I keep hitting the old man until he flops unconscious on the floor, his monocle shattered over his eye. I feel immense satisfaction upon looking at his still form and even more satisfaction when I smash the crystal ball on the floor.

"Young pirate… if you are anything like that damned wizard, may your quest slow down to a crawl!" My laugh echoes in the room and, my smirk reflects itself in the crystal fragments on the floor.

Those two children… I'll never let them meet! That is what I think as I start scavenging Merle Ambrose's unconscious body, binding him with magical tape, and ropes.

Purple hat on my head, a robe to cover my stripes, and a beard on my face. It doesn't take more than ten minutes for me to get rid of my Gamma disguise and begin anew as Merle Ambrose, the headmaster of Ravenwood School of Magical Arts.

My flowy white beard hides my smirk as I walk to the room that is now my office and progress to the second part of my plan. It is time for the young wizard to graduate Ravenwood and finally get out of my way. Let him explore the Spiral for years as I slowly take over Ravenwood from within.

Today, my conquest of the Spiral will finally begin!


End file.
